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People think that they know what it is to be alone. A parent dies, a spouse leaves, a child moves out. People are crushed and miserable because they feel alone, but they don't know the true meaning of the word.
Eddie does.
Eddie didn't just share his life and his home, he shared his body, his literal dreams, and his thoughts before they'd even fully formed. He shared his life force, his secrets, his safety. And in return he got a partner in every sense of the word. They truly were symbiotic, a perfect match, undeniable, unbeatable.
No one could understand that kind of pain, to have the other half of you ripped away, to watch him die painfully so that you and your planet might live. There was no sympathy when he’d awoken either, not the genuine kind, more obligatory. Then it was business as usual, be good, live your life, goodbye. Cast out into the world alone.
They didn’t understand what Eddie had lost, and they didn’t care either. There was nothing that he could do besides do as they said; make a new life and try to live it. Those months were the loneliest of his life. He’d been miserable and alone many times in his life, each time he’d thought it was the worst time, but being without his other was truly the worst, the one that made all the other times seem manageable, tolerable. He’d never been so empty inside, so silent, so motionless, so lacking of the hunger for anything. It was worse than numb, it was like being scooped out from the inside, being left a shell that functioned out of habit more than anything.
Looking back at that period of time, it seemed like a blur, like he sat still, shackled by how he felt, by loss and listlessness, and the world moved around him. It was a miracle that he survived, that they both did.
“Losers always find a way to survive, Eddie,” came the raspy voice in his head that wasn’t his own.
“You in my head again, V?” Eddie lightly accused, pulling out of his reverie and closing his mind’s eye as the cityscape they were overlooking coming back into his physical view.
“Always in Eddie’s head, we live here…” Venom reminded him somewhat smugly.
“You know what I meant.”
“Why does Eddie still think of the bad times?” the symbiote inquired, “We are together, Eddie is not alone…and not empty. All Eddie’s organs are accounted for and working, we promise…we just lick them sometimes…Eddie is very tasty inside and outside.”
Once upon a time that sort of confession would have grossed him out and disturbed him, but now Eddie just accepted it as part of loving and being bonded to a human eating, alien goo monster.
“Thank you for that titbit, V, and I believe you,” Eddie assured him with a small amount of fond exasperation, “it’s a different kind of empty though. I still think about it because it was the lowest point of my life, and I’m still afraid of it happening again.”
“It was bad for us too, but we do not dwell on it like Eddie.”
Lights illuminated the city below, regular street lights, apartment lights, porch lights, car lights, and Christmas light alike, all combining like a giant glowing beacon, one that Eddie stared at as he spoke, “Humans, especially broken ones, find it difficult to let go of the worst times of their lives, even when things are good again,” he educated the symbiote, knowing that his words were purely a lack of understanding, not condescension.
“But it is the eve of the new Earth year…Eddie said that the new year is a fresh start,” Venom countered, using his host’s words against him like usual, “we are supposed to make resolutions and look toward the future, not the past. Eddie is doing it wrong.”
That brought a smile to his face, and a chuckle from his throat, trust his alien goo, his love, to school him on human customs.
“We will…threaten to eat the neighbour’s dog only once a day, and…er…not take the controller from Eddie every time he sucks at video games,” Venom vowed, a little black goo heart appearing in front of Eddie’s eyes, and then a tendril crossed an X over it before they both disappeared again.
He was hiding in case the fireworks went off early and were on a bad frequency, despite Eddie assuring him that they were a super low frequency that wouldn’t hurt him. It was one of the reasons that they’d left the city for the night, instead choosing to watch the light show from afar. The symbiote had been a lot more cautious since almost dying, they were both afraid of losing each other again. Not that Venom admitted to being afraid often, but there were moments that he would show Eddie a secret vulnerable side, and it always revolved around being separated from his human host.
“And we look forward to eating lots of chocolate and chocolate covered snacks! Like tatter tots, yummy,” the satisfied grin could be heard in Venom’s voice as he talked about food, “see, Eddie…think about the good.”
“You’re my good, V,” Eddie admitted, lying back on the flat rock just past the fenced lookout point, Venom gently swinging their legs over the edge, while Eddie put his hands under his head.
“Eddie…” the symbiote encouraged.
“Fine, fine…um,” he really had to think about it, “my resolutions are…to do more things that makes me happy…aaaaannd…” what else?
“We are already even, Eddie reciprocates with all the yummy brain chemicals we get to eat when we fuck hi-”
“Get outta my brain, man!” Eddie couldn’t help the blush that heated up his cheeks in the chilly darkness. Seriously, he’d only considered their sex life for two seconds.
“Make us.”
“Gah,” rolling his eyes with faux annoyance, Eddie tried to think of a second resolution, “anyway…my other resolution is to start writing stuff again.”
“Good, Eddie likes writing, we want Eddie to be happy,” Venom even sounded enthusiastic.
“You’re being incredibly amiable tonight…” Eddie commented with a raised eyebrow. Venom didn’t respond, but their legs stopped swinging, “V?”
“Eddie was thinking about the bad times,” Venom stated quietly, “we don’t like remembering it, we want to enjoy the present with Eddie, with happier Eddie.”
“Ah…” Eddie frowned, he hadn’t realised how much it was affecting the symbiote, “a third resolution then…I’ll try to ruminate less on the bad times,” he promised, “for both of us.”
“Yes, good.”
“Sorry, V, love you,” he wished Venom wasn’t hiding so that he could grab his head and kiss the symbiote, hold and be held by his mass.
“Love, Eddie,” Venom replied, the black heart making a second appearance above Eddie’s face.
Taking one of his hands from behind his head, Eddie crossed his thumb and forefinger to make a one handed heart symbol, holding it up to the black heart. In a matter of seconds, the thin tendrils were wrapped around Eddie’s fingers, turning his gesture into a part of the symbiote’s heart formation.
“Together,” Venom announced.
“Together,” Eddie echoed, feeling his chest tighten with emotion.
“Now tell us what future Eddie is looking forward to…” Venom said after a few moments, the heart dissolving back into Eddie’s hand.
Oh, right, “Um…I dunno, V, just as long as you’re in it…y’know, that’s all I want, time with you, going out for ice cream, and being the Lethal Protector, and arguing over which show to watch, and having mind-blowing sex, and playing video games, and learning new things with you-”
“Sounds like a lot to look forward to,” Venom commented, forming a hand to hold Eddie’s as it rested on his chest.
“I guess you’re right, love,” Eddie smiled, realising it for himself.
“We look forward to all that with Eddie too,” the symbiote stated, and Eddie’s smile broadened further.
A generic phone alarm startled them both then, and Eddie pulled it out of his pocket to silence it, acknowledging the time, “One minute to go time, buddy.”
“Good riddance to bad times, we are ready for good times…” Venom growled as he bundled himself within the protection of Eddie’s ribcage, sticking himself there and nearly vibrating with nervous anticipation.
“Absolutely, new year here we come,” Eddie seconded, sitting up to see the lights of the city instead of the stars.
“Eddie…promise the fireworks won’t hurt?” Venom asked tentatively while Eddie watched the seconds tick by on his phone.
“Google said that fireworks are a super low frequency, V, they’re just really loud, you’re gonna be perfectly fine, I got you,” Eddie assured his symbiote for the fifth time that day.
“Okay.”
It was easy to imagine a cute little black blob peeking between his ribs, hiding just behind them, holding onto the curved bones with tiny tendrils, all the while the numbers ticked and it was nearly time.
“Eddie’s mind picture is mostly accurate, ribs are good place for hiding,” Venom told him in a whisper.
“Good to know…get ready, V,” Eddie warned watching as only ten seconds remained of the year, “ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five,” Venom must’ve done something because it felt like he was tickled from the inside,” haaaa, t-t-three, two, one! Happy new year, love!” he cried, and then was immediately drowned out by the loud whistles and bangs of fireworks going off all around the city.
After the first bang, Venom fully encased Eddie and stood them up, ready for anything, as if protecting him. For the following few, the symbiote was tense, but he soon seemed to realise that there was no danger, and instead sat them back down on the edge of the rock with no fear of the steep drop below, nor the exploding colours against the black of the night sky.
“See, I told you it would be fine,” Eddie remarked.
There was no response however, and it took him a moment to figure out that it was because Venom was mesmerised. The echoing bangs kept coming, along with the wonderous colourful displays, filling the sky with patterns, words, animals, and just simple shapes and designs. Minutes ticked by, and still the symbiote stayed still and silent, Eddie thought it was probably a record, and not even that got a quip back.
Eventually the displays started to die off, until there was one final massive boom, and the night went quiet once more. It occurred to Eddie then that Venom could see the world differently to human eyes, and he wondered how magical the sight was for the symbiote with his special vision.
“Did you enjoy that, love?” Eddie inquired after another minute.
“Humans are such an odd species, creating loud and dangerous things that unite them with pretty colours and patterns,” Venom stated sounding equal parts awed and amused, “incredible…we liked it very much.”
“I thought you would,” Eddie smiled to himself, “so, um, I know you were a bit preoccupied, but there is a tradition to kiss someone at midnight y’know…and it is past midnight, but I’d still be keen to observe the tradition…if-if-”
“Eddie is cute when he asks to be kissed,” Venom laughed, teasing him good-naturedly as he shrunk back from covering Eddie’s entire body to form a full upper body in the human’s lap facing him.
“Hey, love,” Eddie greeted him softly, happy to see the symbiote after his hours of hiding away.
“See. It is a new Earth year, we are together, and Eddie is happy, things are already good,” Venom grinned, his sharp teeth glistening in the moonlight.
That was true, but, “Be better if you kissed me now, c’mere already,” Eddie commanded, drawing in the symbiote.
“Eager,” Venom teased with a purr, but complied.
“Hardly seen you all day,” he said against Venom’s mouth, and then he couldn’t speak anymore as his lips were captured, his mouth invaded, his mind filled with static as he was properly, deeply, passionately kissed by the alien goo monster that he loved.
“We should start the year off with a bang of our own,” Venom suggested silkily in Eddie’s mind while tendrils started to explore his body underneath his clothes, their mouths still joined.
As if he could deny such an offer, to Venom or himself, though it was difficult to muster enough braincells to respond through thought while Venom’s tongue was half way down his throat, determination won though, “God yes…” he managed to think at the symbiote, and the tendrils immediately started to pluck at his clothing, “clothes stay on…it’s fucking freezing,” he hurriedly added.
“Yes, Eddie,” Venom acknowledged smugly, and then they made their own kind of fireworks, united, bonded, together.